


Through a Glass Darkly

by EllieMurasaki



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: au_bingo, Community: fandom_stocking, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-07
Updated: 2011-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-14 13:21:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/149628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieMurasaki/pseuds/EllieMurasaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>It's not the first time the angels have kidnapped Dean—they must be afraid Sam won't succeed—but couldn't they have left Dean at his side until they knew whether Sam had succeeded?</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Through a Glass Darkly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [somnolentblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/somnolentblue/gifts).



Sam kills the demon in the woman with ease, then turns to the man in time to see Dean cut his throat. Sam stares at the bloodless gash. He's thirsty.

Amelia and Claire Novak take a five-finger-discount car to New Mexico. Jimmy lasts three days with Sam and Dean before asking them to borrow him a car to take him to New York.

Ruby is nowhere to be found. It's been weeks.

Then she turns up with intel. She's found Lilith's 'personal chef'. (Who is kidnapping newborns. Ruby's right; Sam doesn't want to know.) Ruby offers to take point on interrogation, because Dean doesn't want to torture the demon, All that proves is that Dean isn't strong enough to be in the room when Ruby and Sam question her.

The woman screams as Sam drains the power from the demon inside her. Screams and bleeds and dies.

Dean insists on taking the first crack at Lilith himself. And on not letting Ruby come. Sam reluctantly agrees; he doesn't actually need Ruby, now. Not like he needs Dean.

Dean vanishes. Sam grabs the wheel and yanks the car off the road, then sits, breathing hard. It's not the first time the angels have kidnapped Dean—they must be afraid Sam won't succeed—but couldn't they have left Dean at his side until they knew whether Sam _had_ succeeded? Sam does not have _time_ to hunt Dean down. Not if he's going to make it to Ilchester by midnight. Sitting in a car with an empty shotgun seat tears him up inside.

Lilith is waiting for him. She knew he was coming, she's taunting him—something's wrong, but he can figure out what it is when she's dead.

For the first time, Sam can actually see the demon within the woman's body; can see the link between her and hell along which her power flows and from which she draws power to resist him. Sam has always—well, always since Ruby first showed him—been feeling for that link, using it as his guide for where to shove the demon to get it back to hell, where to apply pressure to kill the demon, finding it with hands extended in a darkened room. Now he can _see_.

It's easier to sever that link than he expects.

Lilith's blood trickles across the floor.

Sam's too tired to do anything but stand and stare.

White light blazes forth.

This was too easy. She meant to die.

There's a high-pitched tone shrieking in his ear. When the glass in the window shatters, Sam realizes it's the voice of an angel. Of Lucifer.

This is why Azazel chose Sam. So Sam could be here, at this spot where Azazel found or began to open the gate to Lucifer's cage, to kill Lilith, which must have been the final seal. Azazel twisted Sam's inborn power into something capable of killing Lilith.

Sam slides into darkness. The last thing he thinks is that he failed.

The first thing he thinks is how beautiful Jess is.

She's trying to convince him that this was all God's fault. That with her help, he can avenge Dean and Jess and Dad and Mom.

Sam's the only one who can help her.

No. No. She's Lucifer. She says she's Lucifer. Prince of Lies. Azazel killed Mom and Jess because of Sam, because Lucifer needed Sam to escape. Dad died to save Dean and Azazel is already dead. Dean died to save Sam and Lilith is already dead. And Sam has heard all this from Ruby, and did Ruby know any of this?

Probably.

Sam wakes.

The room is still filled with blazing white light. With Lucifer.

There are no words for how badly Sam has failed.

Sam fumbles for his pocketknife, flips it open, aims for his jugular. Dean—Dean has the angels; whatever needs to be done to end Lucifer, Dean can do it.

Sam slides into darkness. The last thing he thinks is how he wishes he could apologize to Dean.

The first thing he thinks is, _who turned on the lights?_


End file.
